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Pirate Pride

The "Champions of Low Sec" event is running right now. As of this writing Stay Frosty has exploded 320 ships since the event began Thursday morning. In total ABA has exploded 462 as an Alliance. And yet I operate under no illusions about winning the event. We've all expected that Horde, or Pen Is Out, or someone who gets a few Capital kills will more than equal our total output in ISK value and take home the prize. In fact, it seems most groups have decided that insta-locking gate camps are the way to go. I counted 12 camps operating in Black Rise/VV/Placid yesterday.

We're not playing to win. We're playing for pride. Stay Frosty and the corporations in ABA exist to maintain a play-style that has faded over the years. We are, in so many ways, the last bastion of true piracy in Low Sec. (And before you start yelling, I know there are other other smaller groups out there. Or groups that used to do. But we've been doing it non-stop for seven years straight. No one else even comes close to our almost perfect 50/50 split between solo and small gang.)

We are a dying breed.

And yet we are thriving like never before. We continue to grow and add more pilots to our roster Alliance wide. And Low Sec is more vibrant and active than it has been in years and I'm hopeful that it continues to grow. For the first time in ages CCP finally addressed some issues with the FW system that help encourage more conflict. And hopefully that wasn't the last of it.

I continue to be extremely proud of our pilots and all that they have accomplished. It makes me happy to see old friends coming back into the game and re-joining. And I'm always amazed at how quickly new players take to the play-style and become great PvP pilots.

We're always the underdogs. We don't get the limelight, or the credit, or the media attention. No one writes history books about Low Sec. And yet every single day, our pilots are putting it on the line across all of New Eden against overwhelming odds. And succeeding.

If you are reading this and thinking that this kind of play-style is for you, then I encourage you to consider joining Stay Frosty or one of our Alliance corporations. Become part of our A Band Apart family, either individually or with your entire corporation. Help us continue to write our own history book and forge your own name into the stars. Some of the games best solo and small gang experts fly under our banner, come, learn from them. And make your own mark.

There is no better feeling in Eve than being face to face with another player, locked in a duel to the death, and watching their ship explode because of what you just did. And having your friends watching your back while you do it.

We might not win this event. But we are winning the fight every day where it counts. In space. With our pride intact.

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